This is a list of Christian religious houses, both extant and dissolved, in Norway, for both men and women. All those before the Reformation were of course Catholic; the modern ones are a mixture of Catholic and Protestant communities.
Norwegian monasteries pre-Reformation
All Norway's medieval religious houses that were still extant were dissolved during the Reformation.
| Religious house | Location | Present-day county | Dedication | Order | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bakke Abbey | Trondheim, Bakke gård | Trøndelag | nuns of unknown order, possibly Benedictine | c. 1150 - 1537 | |
| Franciscan friary, Bergen | Bergen | Vestland | Franciscan friars | 1240s - 1537 | |
| Hospital of St. Anthony, Bergen | Bergen | Vestland | Saint Anthony | Order of St. Anthony | 1507–1528; the premises were previously Nonneseter Abbey, Bergen |
| St. John's Priory, Bergen (Jonsklosteret) | Bergen | Vestland | Saint John the Baptist | Augustinian Canons | mid-12th cy - 1450 |
| Dragsmark Abbey (Marieskog) | Uddevalla | Båhuslen (now Bohuslän in Sweden) | Blessed Virgin Mary | Premonstratensian Canons | 1230 x 1260 - 1532 |
| Elgeseter Priory, formerly Helgeseter Priory | Trondheim | Trøndelag | Augustinian Canons | before 1183 - 1546 | |
| Gimsøy Abbey | Skien | Telemark | Benedictine nuns | 1st half of the 12th cy - c. 1540 | |
| Halsnøy Abbey | Island of Halsnøy (Kvinherad) | Vestland | Augustinian Canons | 1163/64 - 1536 | |
| St. Olav's Priory, Hamar (Olavsklosteret på Hamar) | Hamar | Innlandet | Saint Olav | Dominican friars | The existence of this Dominican priory is known from a single reference in 1511 |
| Holmen Priory | Holmen, Bergen | Vestland | Dominican friars | 1243 x 1247 - 1528 | |
| Hovedøya Abbey | Island of Hovedøya (Oslo) | Oslo | Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Edmund the Martyr | Cistercian monks | 1147-1532 |
| Kastelle Priory | Konghelle (later Kungahålla) | Båhuslen (now Bohuslän in Sweden) | Augustinian Canons | 1161 x 1181 - 1529 | |
| Konghelle Friary | Konghelle (later Kungahålla) | Båhuslen (now Bohuslän in Sweden) | Franciscan friars | 1263 x 1272 - 1532 | |
| Lyse Abbey | Os | Vestland | Cistercian monks | 1146-1536 | |
| Marstrand Friary | Marstrand | Båhuslen (now Bohuslän in Sweden) | Franciscan friars | in existence by 1291; entirely demolished in 1532; exact location unknown | |
| Munkeby Abbey | Okkenhaug, Levanger | Trøndelag | Cistercian monks | founded before 1180; apparently relocated to Tautra Abbey c. 1200 x 1207 | |
| Munkeliv Abbey | Nordnes, Bergen | Vestland | Saint Michael | Benedictine monks to 1426, thereafter Bridgettine nuns | c. 1110 - 1531 |
| Nidarholm Abbey | Munkholmen island in Trondheim | Trøndelag | Saint Benedict and Saint Lawrence | Benedictine monks | c. 1100 - 1537 |
| Nonneseter Abbey, Bergen | Bergen | Vestland | Blessed Virgin Mary | Cistercian nuns, ejected in 1507; premises given to the Hospital Brothers of St. Anthony | c. 1150 - 1507 |
| Nonneseter Abbey, Oslo | Schweigaardsgaten and Grønlandsleiret in Oslo | Oslo | Blessed Virgin Mary | Benedictine nuns | early 12th cy - 1547 |
| St. Olav's Priory, Oslo (Olavsklosteret i Oslo) | Oslo | Oslo | Saint Olav | Dominican friars | 1239 - before 1546 |
| Franciscan Friary, Oslo | Oslo | Oslo | Franciscan friars | before 1291 - 1530s or 1540s | |
| Rein Abbey | Årnset, Rissa | Trøndelag | Saint Andrew | noblewomen's collegiate foundation | shortly after 1226 - 1532 |
| Selje Abbey | Island of Selja in Selje | Vestland | Saint Alban | Benedictine monks | c. 1100 - 1461 x 1474 |
| St. Olav's Abbey, Stavanger (Olavsklosteret i Stavanger) | Stavanger | Rogaland | Saint Olav | Augustinian Canons | founded before 1160; transferred to Utstein c. 1263 x 1280 |
| Tautra Abbey or Tuterø Abbey | Island of Tautra, Frosta | Trøndelag | Cistercian monks | 1207 - 1532 | |
| St. Olav's Abbey, Tønsberg (Olavsklosteret i Tønsberg) | Tønsberg | Vestfold | Saint Olav | Premonstratensians | 2nd half of the 12th century (before 1191) - 1532 |
| Franciscan Friary, Tønsberg | Tønsberg | Vestfold | Franciscan friars | before 1236 - 1536 | |
| Bridgettine Priory, Trondheim | Trondheim | Trøndelag | Bridgettine nuns | dates tbe | |
| Dominican Priory, Trondheim | Trondheim | Trøndelag | Dominican friars | before 1234 - 1531 | |
| Franciscan Friary, Trondheim | Trondheim | Trøndelag | Franciscan friars | before 1472 - 1532 | |
| Utstein Abbey | Island of Mosterøy in Rennesøy | Rogaland | Saint Lawrence | Augustinian Canons | founded 1263 x 1280 to replace St. Olav's Abbey, Stavanger; dissolved 1537 |
| Varna Abbey | Værne gård, Rygge | Østfold | Knights Hospitallers | 2nd half of the 12th century - 1532 |
Norwegian monasteries post-Reformation
All of the following are less than thirty years old.
- Engen Community, Kolbu in Toten: Protestant deaconesses, of the French Communauté des Diaconesses de Reuilly
- Fjordenes Dronning Abbey, Storfjord near Stamsund in Lofoten: Cistercian monks
- Heimdal Abbey: Bridgettines
- Hovin in Telemark: Trappist monks
- Høysteinane Priory, Larvik: Poor Clares
- Lunden Convent, Linderud, Oslo: Dominican sisters
- St. Dominic's Convent, Oslo: Dominican sisters
- St. Hallvard's Church and Monastery, Enerhaugen, Oslo: Franciscan friars
- Tautra Abbey (Tautra Mariakloster), Tautra: Trappist nuns
- Totus Tuus Convent, Tromsø: Carmelite sisters
Notes
- ^ possibly an abbey
- or possibly 1234
- Diplomatarium Norvegicum IV. Christiania. 1055
- there is an unsubstantiated tradition of an earlier foundation by King Canute in 1028
- the nunnery's assets had been expropriated by 1547, but the nuns seem to have remained in residence for several decades longer
- may also have been known as Kleiva kloster
Sources
- Norske middelalderkloster (in Norwegian)